Author
Topic: Hello with a big cheesy grin from Cornwall in the south west of England (Read 2139 times)

Hi, my name is Eileen and brand new to cheese making I have today made my second cheddar in a week. It is currently undergoing its first light pressing and my first one will be waxed tonight.

I am a complete beginner and have found this forum to be a superb source of information, thanks for allowing me to join.

I am particularly interested in being a bit creative with cheddar and adding a few other ingredients when I get the hang of the basics. Maybe someone could give advice or point me in the direction of some recipes?

The cheese I make is primarily for our own use and that of friends and family depending on how they come out of course!

Welcome to the forum! There are lots of people who make cheeses with interesting additions. I've only ever tried cumin seeds in Gouda and chili's in a monterey jack. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in.

with the herbs and spices i started sterilising them by boiling for 5 x minutes and applying them to cheese, but soon found that boiling for 15 minutes and applying tincture ONLY , was much more acceptable

we smoke most of our cheddar's with apple and cherry wood and either wax or rind wash with a mixture of salt to

saturation , port , sherry , muscat , vinegar and olive oil,,,,,,,,,,have even used whey at times but try not to let our dogs

catch me , if you get my drift ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gave cloth bandaging with lard a go the other day,,and no need to guess what i do

to cheese i'm making on ST. PATRICK's day

apart from this brilliant website another is LITTLEGREENCHEESE.COM ,,an AUSSIE bloke who has instructional

videos on this site,,,,,,,,,free of course,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you will also find him on YOUTUBE.COM

all the best and don't worry if the cheeses misfire occasionally ,,i spent my life in grog laboratories or on the production

floor and still come unstuck now and again with cheese ,,,,,,,,usually caused by operator error

Welcome!! I'm extremely jealous as you can get clotted cream and I can't. LOL I lived in England for 9 years. Wife is from London and she has/had friends living in Devon.

Ever tried making your own clotted cream Al, it's quite easy? We are from London originally but have also owned a house in Devon for 19 years and only recently moved to Cornwall and you are right, the clotted cream comes with everything.

Thanks for all the info Curd Nerd, I am definitely going to give some of these a try. In the supermarkets here they sell cheddar with pickled onions and chives. According to the ingredients listed they use freeze dried chives but I am not sure how the prepare the picked onions. I am assuming they would just chop up and pat them dry of vinegar, does that sound about right? I have a lot of homemade pickled onions and I wouldn't mind giving this a go.

Thanks for all the info Curd Nerd, I am definitely going to give some of these a try. In the supermarkets here they sell cheddar with pickled onions and chives. According to the ingredients listed they use freeze dried chives but I am not sure how the prepare the picked onions. I am assuming they would just chop up and pat them dry of vinegar, does that sound about right? I have a lot of homemade pickled onions and I wouldn't mind giving this a go.

Hi There! Welcome!! . Do remember that any ingredients added that affect the pH will have an impact and perhaps not one that you want. Some have used further additions to rebalance the pH after testing. good luck. keep us posted and do share photos!!

Thanks Tiarella, I will bear that in mind. I think I will just feel my way very gently with this one as I am such a novice. Will be waxing my second cheddar tomorrow and both look really good but who knows what they will taste like

By the way, I love your cheese avatar, what are the herbs around the sides?